Tenants in England spend half their pay on rent

Rents in England are almost half of tenants’ average take-home pay, according to an official report on the state of the country’s housing.

Figures in the latest English Housing Survey, based on research in 2013-14, show that tenants paid an average of 47% of their net income in rent, while those who had taken out a mortgage faced repayments equal to 23% of their earnings after tax.

The report, which is the most comprehensive snapshot of England’s housing stock and how people are living in it, also showed that once housing benefit is stripped out of income, average rents are now more than half of average gross pay.

Across England, private renters paid 43% of the average gross income of the main householder and partner including housing benefit in rent, but without including the state payments tenants faced costs that were typically 52% of their earnings.

What We Think…

With the housing situation in the UK seemingly becoming beyond an entire generations affordability the term Generation rent was forged. It describes how that generation has been priced out of the market for property and are locked into an unforgiving and inflexible rental market .
It’s shocking to see how many websites there are out there that use the term Generation Rent to inform landlords and homeowners how best to exploit them.
That’s why we chose to launch Generation-rent.com, to give those who are trapped in this demoralising position a voice and a place to gain further insight into why this has happened to them.